PALERMO BOOGIE GANG

THE BLUES CAME TO AUDIENCE ATTENTION IN HUNGARY DURING THE 1980'S. PALERMO BOOGIE GANG WERE THE FIRST YOUNG BAND TO APPROACH THE MUSIC WITH A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. TO THEM THE BLUES IS A LIVING MUSIC, NEITHER A MUSEUM PIECE NOR SOME EXOTIC FORM. THEY HAVE GROWN INTO THE BLUES LIKE A CHILD IS GROWING INTO HIS OLDER BROTHER'S OVERALLS. SAME FAMILY, SAME CLOTH, SAME CUT. AND IT FITS THEM SO WELL.

THE PALERMO BOOGIE GANG WAS FOUNDED IN 1985. AFTER NUMEROUS PERSONNEL CHANGES WHICH PUT THE GROUP IN CONTACT WITH NEARLY EVERYONE IN THE HUNGARIAN BLUES SCENE, THE FOLLOWING LINE-UP WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1989 AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED UNTIL AUGUST OF 1997.

JENŐ FEKETE: VOCAL, GUITAR, DOBRO
TAMÁS SZABÓ: VOCAL, HARMONICA, WASHBOARD
GYULA BACSA: PIANO, ACCORDION
ROBERT KEPES: BASS
ISTVÁN MEZÖFI: DRUMS, VOCAL

THE BAND SHARES THE COMMON LOVE AND INTEREST IN CHICAGO STYLE RHYTHM AND BLUES, 1930'S BOOGIE WOOGIE. THEY HAVE ADDED A HEAVY DASH OF LOUISIANA ZYDECO Á LA CLIFTON CHENIER TO THE REPERTOIRE. AMONG CENTRAL EUROPEAN BLUES BANDS, THE PALERMO BOOGIE GANG STAND APART IN THEIR TALENT FOR GOING TO THE ROOTS OF BLUES AND COMING OUT WITH SOMETHING ENTIRELY ORIGINAL AND NEW IN AN OLD FORM, WHICH SHOWS IN THEIR COMPOSITIONS.

THE PALERMO BOOGIE GANG ARE REGULAR GUESTS AT THE MORE IMPORTANT HUNGARIAN AND INTERNATIONAL BLUES FESTIVALS, OFTEN WORKING AS A BACK-UP BAND FOR BLUES MUSICIANS AROUND THE WORLD. THUS THEY HAVE SHARED THE STAGE WITH CHAMPION JACK DUPREE AT THE WEAST FESTIVAL, VINCE WEBER IN THESSALONIKI, LOUISIANA RED, OTIS GRAND AND MAGIC SLIM IN BUDAPEST. THEY HAVE HAD SEVERAL TV AND RADIO APPEARANCES BOTH IN HUNGARY AND ABROAD.

IN 1995 THE BAND ACCOMPANIED LARRY GARNER, ONE OF LOUISIANA'S GREATEST LIVING BLUES PERFORMER, ON HIS CENTRAL EUROPEAN TOUR, HAVING PREVIOUSLY DONE A VARIETY OF CONCERTS AND TV-RECORDINGS WITH THE "KING OF THE RHYTHM AND BLUES SAXOPHONE", BIG JAY MCNEELY.

IN 1993 THE LEGENDARY HUNGARIAN JAZZ ACCORDIONIST, MIHÁLY TABÁNYI APPEARED ON THE BAND'S "RED HOT BLUES" CD.

THE ALBUM "BOTTLE UP AND GO" WAS HAILED BY THE CRITICS AS THE BEST BLUES RECORD TO EVER HAVE COME OUT OF HUNGARY. AMERICAN BLUES PRODUCER BRUCE IGLAUER EXTOLLED THE BAND'S EXTRAORDINARY TALENT, WHILE LIVING BLUES ONE OF THE WORLDS TOP BLUES MAGAZINES, GAVE PARTICULAR CREDIT TO THE UNUSUAL ARRANGEMENT OF SPECIAL RIDER BLUES, AND THE OUTSTANDING CHROMATIC HARMONICA WORK ON ROBERT'S SUNRISE.

HAVING ATTAINED AN UNEQUALED REPUTATION FOR THEIR EXCELLENT MUSICIANSHIP AND THE BOISTEROUS, SWINGING ATMOSPHERE THEY NEVER FAIL TO CREATE, IT IS NO WONDER THAT THE PALERMO BOOGIE GANG HAVE NEVER BEEN CHOSEN AS A SUPPORT ACT TO SUCH CELEBRITIES AS B.B. KING, FATS DOMINO, THE CANNED HEAT AND ROBBEN FORD.

THE MEMBERS OF THE BAND ARE AMONGST THE BEST ON THEIR INSTRUMENTS, SO IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT THEY ARE OFTEN CALLED TO HELP OUT OTHER HUNGARIAN MUSICIANS' PROJECTS. TAMÁS SZABÓ IS THE AUTHOR OF THE FIRST HUNGARIAN HARMONICA COURSE BOOK.

DISCOGRAPHY:

PALERMO BOOGIE GANG I. 1991
RED HOT BLUES 1993
BOTTLE UP AND GO 1994
BLUES AND BOOGIE IN BUDAPEST with BIG JAY MCNEELY 1995
ANNIVERSARY 1996